Orthodynamic Roundup

Armaegis every part of that post is pure genius!  Only thing that could have topped it off was mentioning the alternately solid and liquid cornstarch and water thing...  but people don't try that, stick to the gelatin experiment.
 
Don't think you'd be able to wear gels for long periods in the summertime though would you?
 
Saw the Comply post earlier did you figure out if they are actually available now? Their site gets awkward at times. I'd be down with some of those , could even deal with the blue if they are worthy.

I actually thought about trying to coat a set of pleathers with the milk/gelatin to see if I could improve seal. It would only be a very brief temporary thing though, as I imagine the milk part of it would start to spoil after several hours (or would the gelatin stabalize it? I have no idea). But heck, it's a couple cents worth of material and you just peel it off at the end anyways. Or maybe if you could make a donut shaped mold, just solidify a piece of the milk jelly and slap that on between the pad and your face (for science!)
 
I couldn't wear the gel pads for very long. My face gets oily/sweaty very quickly, and I'm ocd about keeping my headphones clean so I just couldn't do it. I'd be taking them off every few minutes to wipe them clean. 
 
Heh, cornstarch and water to make non-newtonian fluids. Fun stuff. I don't think you could make a pad out of it, although sound waves *do* cause funny things to happen... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zoTKXXNQIU
 
Unfortunately I have no idea if those comply pads are available yet. 

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nick n said:

Funny enough there is a post on the Beyerdynamic Gel pads near the top of the first full sized page and they mentioned  B&H, so I looked and what do you know

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/668341/bayerdynamic-clear-gel-pads#post_9532211
 
buy them here. says back-ordered but hopefully they will get some
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=beyerdynamic+gel&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=
 
I would think that they would have a better seal than Shure pads, though probably heat buildup will make them sweaty at times or if using for long periods. No big deal though just take a break here and there.
Sennheiser also has some Gel pads Will take pictures tomorrow for that.http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/2425
 
 
and a pile of other things no idea about dimensions though.http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/tag/ear%20seals
 
Hutnicks were you asking me about David Clark pads? If so these air pillow versions are not worth using on much, and they were from a free headset.

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Im waiting for B&H to get them in stock again. God knows when that's gonna happen though. Do you have the Sennheiser gel pads?!! . Do you think they would be easier to fit on a T50RP? I'd soo appreciate if you could post a few more side by side pics. 

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armaegis said:

I remember trying to Beyer gel pads once (I think at the local Long & McQuades ages ago). It's a bit of an odd feeling, and slightly claustrophobic. I'm not entirely sure if the pad is a single material, or if it's a gel inside a soft rubbery/silicon shell. Either way: it seals very well, almost sticky feeling, definitely hotter/sweatier, and definitely improves isolation. 
 
If you're curious how it feels, try this: mix a small batch of 1 tbsp gelatin and 1.5 tbsp milk in a small glass bowl, microwave for about 10-15 seconds, let it sit for an hour or two until it congeals. Slap that on your face. It's not sticky or slimy per se, but the texture will make it adhere. (For those curious, this is a home-made face mask for pore cleansing that actually works quite well. Spread a thin-ish layer on your face while still warm, wait 20 minutes for it to dry until you can't move your face and it feels like the mask will explode (trust me, you'll know), then peel it off)
 
Of interest, Comply also seems to have an earpad in the works... http://www.complyfoam.com/new-comply-premium-headphone-pads/

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OH I love me some beauty tips!!  I was reading through your T50RP transplant mods. Awesome stuff man! And will definitely keep tabs on these comply pads you speak of. I'm trying to find a low cost solution for better seal. 

Does anyone know where to find "yellow biscuit" used in vintage NAD RP-18. If anyone has some they don't need, I would like to buy
it. I wonder if there is an equivalent substitute?
 

NAD RP-18 "yellow biscuit."

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bluemonkeyflyer said:

Does anyone know where to find "yellow biscuit" used in vintage NAD RP-18. If anyone has some they don't need, I would like to buy
it. I wonder if there is an equivalent substitute?
 

NAD RP-18 "yellow biscuit."

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Those are the rockwool-like foam discs often found in the Stax electrets aren't they? That stuff is basically like pirate's treasure in the vintage world. Good luck finding some.

Isn't roof insulation glass fibre pretty much the same stuff? But more dangerous to handle.
The stuff in Stacey is very similar but I think a bit more dampy.

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takato14 said:

Those are the rockwool-like foam discs often found in the Stax electrets aren't they? That stuff is basically like pirate's treasure in the vintage world. Good luck finding some.

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Arrrggghhh, Matey. Maybe there's a substitute?
 
It looks like a cross between fiberglass and rock wool. There's a ~ 5 mm layer of yellow biscuit over the back of the drivers and another ~ 5 mm yellow biscuit over the inside of the grills. That's the sum total of the NAD damping except for the pads' 3 cm ear side opening.
 
Maybe a thin sandwich of rock wool and fiberglass...Or, a thin layer of rock wool on the back of the drivers, a thin layer of fiberglass over the inside of the grills (or vice versa), and a closed cell foam donut (with a 3 cm opening) under the ear side of the aftermarket pads to approximate the effect of stock pads...
 
The pads I've tried are Turtle Beach 9.5 cm round pads with cloth covering, Hifi Man leathers, and Hifi Man velours. The internal damping, at present, is nick n's 5mm thick x 10 cm foam disks over the inside of the grills and a 2 sq. cm piece of nick's Arctic Cotton...or is the Bamboo? I don't remember which is which. With this simple config, the Hifi Man velours work best at soaking up excess bass. The Turtle Beach comes in second. The Hifi Man leather pads are a Distant third place with Boomy Bass Bloat (BBB).
 
They Still don't sound as good as All Stock NAD RP-18 that, to me, beats the Fostex T50v1, especially in the treble range.
 
The currently modded NAD is mylar. I did not want to mess with the yellow biscuit in the all stock set te see if it's mylar or kapton. The all stock set has the Round cable splitter. I think I read on wikiphonia something about the cable splitter helps to identify which is which. Must go look
 
Edit: The all stock NAD has the round y-splitter so I suppose it's Kapton.

rabib91 ask and ye shall receive.
 
I got these awesome things in a still ongoing materials swap/trade marathon
 
from another generous member in here. I have been stashing them to use on the ultimate mod which is ongoing, and somehow keeps changing, so a side by side shot here.
Sennheisers are on the left and come with that foam insert seen below.
" Gel Ear pads for Series HME 100/ HME 300/ HME 400 "
You know I would almost think I was BS'ing you myself but it so happens yes i actually have them.

 

 
BMF let me look for some "Pirate treasure" biscuits, I might have a couple from a STAX SR-40. Will message if so. alternately I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the stuff people were calling deteriorated foam in the Audio Technica mods, I think in the ESW9 lineup or similar. Could be worth looking into

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nick n said:

rabib91 ask and ye shall receive.
 
I got these awesome things in a still ongoing materials swap/trade marathon
 
from another generous member in here. I have been stashing them to use on the ultimate mod which is ongoing, and somehow keeps changing, so a side by side shot here.
Sennheisers are on the left and come with that foam insert seen below.
" Gel Ear pads for Series HME 100/ HME 300/ HME 400 "
You know I would almost think I was BS'ing you myself

but it so happens yes i actually have them.

 

 
BMF let me look for some "Pirate treasure" biscuits, I might have a couple from a STAX SR-40. Will message if so. alternately I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the stuff people were calling deteriorated foam in the Audio Technica mods, I think in the ESW9 lineup or similar. Could be worth looking into

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You, my friend, are a Champ!

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bluemonkeyflyer said:

You, my friend, are a Champ!

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Aye I am a rare treasure magnet at times.  Don't ask how, it just happens. Effortless, disturbing at times, but it is a sign from the Sonic Dimensional beings that things are "perfectly well"
 
You got yourself a "PM" but in email form.
 
BTW I don't recall anyone actually ever figuring out what the yellow stuff was or a source.  Actual Acoustic Rockwool or Fibreglass perhaps. I gave up trying a while ago to figure it out.

Amfiton TDS-15 Transplant
 
A good friend in Belarus knew I was looking for some vintage Russian headphones so he sent me a set of TDS-15. One side of the headband connector was cracked. The copper wires had become brittle and were corroded green. I was not able to repair the headband so, what to do?  Last year, lee perry told me about the open back Takstar headphones from China. He said they might work as a foster fone so I bought a pair. Their sound was weird with strong bass, thin mids, and hot treble. I put them away until a couple of weeks ago. 
 
  
 
 
      
 
Looks like a Huge open back but the opening is only 23 mm in diameter and 1/4 of that is covered by the badge.
 
 
    
Trim and Grill removed from cup. Each has 4 tabs that fit in                              The open backs are only 23.2 mm diameter.
cups' slots. They pop right out.
 
 
       
Maximum diameter from diagonal cup screw compartments.      I used a Dremel diamond cutting wheel to cut out this 64 x 44 mm
                                                                                                     section of the cup floor for much larger open backs.
 
    
Before and After enlarging the Takstar's open backs.                After.  The cup slots for the Trim Ring and Grill are not affected.
                                                                                                               Just look at all that reclaimed open back real estate!
 
    
TDS-15 driver diameter = 66 mm fits perfectly if the driver clamps (recessed about 1 mm) are aligned with the foster fone's cup
screw compartments. It's 12 mm in thickness. When placed in the Takstar cup, it rests on the cup inner curved rim that has the
slots for the grill and trim tabs. There is about 8 mm clearance between the driver and the grill and about 3 mm from the top of
the driver to the cup's top edge. Note the huge gaps above and below the driver.
 
 
It's time to do something about all that empty space. First, new baffles.
       
Takstar's "baffles" are actually retaining rings with a large opening for the drivers. They won't work in the transplant so I had to make some new ones. I tried thin 
sheet metal but it was too flimsy; it would have resonated like crazy. I bought a small sheet of 22 gage steel, made a template with the Takstar retaining rings and
cut out the ovals with an old rusty set of curved tin snips. The ovals would have been a bit neater using new, sharper tin snips. I used a Dremel metal cutting disk
to cut out the square for the driver opening. The TDS-15 driver opening is 40 x45 mm. I burned up a 3/32" drill bit in my Dremel drill press after only 2 screw holes.
Using a regular variable speed drill works best for drilling the baffle screw holes. The finished 22 gage steel baffles are light weight and extremely rigid.
 
O.K. The new baffles are ready. Now, gotta take up all that empty space around the driver. I used about 3 cotton balls for each cup. I teased them apart and pressed
them into place with my X-acto knife. It was really handy for the narrow sides. I compressed the cotton very firmly all the way down, around, and between the driver
frame and cup. There's still about 3 mm open space between the baffle and driver. I took care of that by making a gasket with Michaels' closed cell foam. The 
driver is held in place by friction.
 
 
        
 
Up next, damping and tuning trials. I tried a lot of materials in various combinations and configurations. Here's what I settled on:
 
  
18 mm thin card stock disk over back of the driver held on with thin strips of double sided tape.  1 x 5 x 6 cm Natural
Absorbent Cotton in the cup floor and grill cup = 0.5 grams and very fluffy; not densely packed. Paxmate surrounds 
the cotton mounted on the cup floor. The driver frame sits on the Paxmate which de-couples the driver from the cup
and may offer some degree of acoustic damping.
 
     
 
This is the stock TDS-15 thin but dense felt. Each driver has 2 layers. An "earring" of Paxmate surrounds the ear side of the
driver to reduce reflections and provide support for the pads.
 
  
 
    
 
Fisher FA-003 pads fit perfectly and are ultra comfortable. I think they sound better taped on rather than using their flaps.
Double-sided tape works well. An easy method is to buy a 3 x 3 feet sheet at the art store, use the baffle retaining ring as a
template, and cut out a ring the exact size needed.  
 
This TDS-15 to Takstar Transplant (T3) and mod sounds really good. It has more bass and more treble than my 2 sets of
stock TDS-15's and the mids are just as clear. 
 
Cost breakdown:
 
$00.00 TDS-15 (favor exchange)
 50.00 Takstar Foster Fone
 28.00 FA-003 pads
   5.00 22 gage steel

Damn BMF, that's awesome. Thanks for the worklog!

Very nice work bluemonkey!

I'll say, it sure is!
That driver just barely made it in there. No issues with it not being bonded to anything in there? I guess by now you would have found something if it was going to act up.
Those other Takstars look pretty interesting also for potential swap, specifically these. Have to look for a sacrificial donor here.

 
It's that fabric that makes me want them for some reason and the headband looks great also. Just remove any model #'s and badges and good to go. I think i am crazy.